OBIT: Captain Bud Garske

Captain Bud Garske, a popular captain at PSA and USAirways, passed away peacefully at his home in San Diego, overlooking Mission Bay, the Pacific Ocean with sailboats in the distance and his friends at his side.

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Devils Lake Journal - Devils Lake, ND

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Posted Jul. 18, 2014 at 10:44 AM

Posted Jul. 18, 2014 at 10:44 AM

Captain Bud Garske, a popular captain at PSA and USAirways, passed away peacefully at his home in San Diego, overlooking Mission Bay, the Pacific Ocean with sailboats in the distance and his friends at his side.

Services were at Miramar National Cemetery on July 14. Bud was born in Miami, Florida, to Emil 'Bud' Garske Sr. and Carol Baldwin Garske. Bud attended Stranahan High School in Ft Lauderdale, FL, and graduated from Georgia Tech.

In 1968, he joined the United States Marine Corps and went through officer training and flight school at Pensacola, FL. After earning his Marine aviation wings, Bud was selected to fly fighter aircraft and went through training on the F-4 Phantom. He volunteered for duty in Vietnam, and was stationed in Chu Lai, South Vietnam with VMF 115 from 1969 through 1970. While there, he flew many dangerous missions and received, among other awards and medals, the Air Medal with Numeral 24. Bud also flew missions in the A-4, and later while flying for the Marine Reserve Squadron in Atlanta, Georgia, flew the F-8 Crusader and OV-10.

Bud joined Pacific Southwest Airlines in 1977 and was a crewmember on the Boeing 727, and Douglas MD-80 aircraft. He flew as a captain on the Bae 146 and was a Check Pilot/Instructor on that aircraft, training not only pilots from PSA and USAirways but also pilots from other countries. After PSA merged into USAirways, Bud flew as a captain on the Boeing 737, 757, and 767 aircraft. He retired from USAirways in 2004 after several years as an international captain on the Boeing 767, flying from Charlotte, North Carolina, to many of the major cities in Europe.

When not flying, Bud was sailing on Valhalla, his beloved Morgan 38 Sailboat. An accomplished sailor, Bud sailed up and down the California coast, and spent part of each summer in various coves at Catalina Island..

Bud was a member of the Airline Pilots Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and was a founding member of the Yankee Air Pirates.

Bud was a lifelong bachelor. He lived life to the fullest. He was everyone’s friend and was known for his quick smile, infectious laugh and wicked sense of humor. He possessed that quiet sense of command, yet at the same time was modest and easy going.

Bud's father, Emil Garske, was the son of Emil and Mayme Baker Garske of Webster. Bud, Sr. graduated from Webster High School and learned to fly shortly after graduation. He flew bombers in the RCAF and when the US entered WWII he transferred to the Army Air Corps. Bud, Sr. and his two sisters Vivian Garske Holje and Kathryn Mae Graham Eiland were special members of the Joe and Kathleen Baker Connor family at Starkweather.